PerryWinkles Kids Blog

In the past month, my daughter Clara, now 7 months, has graduated from her original choice of baby toys. She no longer lingers on the grabbing toys but is fascinated by balls and anything that rolls, as well as stacking blocks.   Also on her favourites list are stuffed animals that make noise.

Having gained more control of her movements she can now pick up balls the size of her palm, as well as get her hands into beachballs. She is still at that fascinating stage where she can’t not reach for something if you put it in front of her, which makes distracting her from getting into dangerous things easier.  But the wonderful thing is she’s also learning cause and effect so you can almost see her brain light up when she shakes a toy and hears a noise coming from inside it.  Then she figures if she shakes the toy really quickly more noise will come from it…and if she bangs it against another toy!…soon we’ve got a concert going on!

Clara’s current collection of favourites includes:

1. A beachball that is not fully inflated so she can grab easily with a couple of fingers. ($2 at Gymboree)

2. A colourful ball that makes noise and she can grab with both hands.

3. Small, animated balls that fit easily into her hand.

4. Mandarins that she can push around and quickly grab and get her teeth into. (She needs to be supervised during this activity, lest she actually eat the citrus fruit that her stomach is not ready for yet!)

5. Stacking blocks are fun to hold with all its textures, sounds and colours but even more fun is stacking them and letting Clara hit them and watch them tumble.  We can do this activity over and over again without her tiring of it!  ($15 at Manhattan Toys)

 I can’t wait to see what the next stage will bring!

PerryWinkles Kids - Fine Children’s Clothing

As we decide how to spend our time with our new infants we are bombarded with toys to choose from. The choice is yours to make as to which one will get your baby’s attention and hold it for more than ten seconds, which one will make her smarter, which one will develop her eye coordination, or work on her grasp, will this one make her dumber?!, could this one be toxic?! We know that novelty is good for a baby’s development but what is too much? You wouldn’t want to spoil your baby!

As a first time mom you pay so much attention to your baby’s every tiny reaction and expression with a new toy trying to figure out if this one passes the test. (I imagine the second or third time around you either know it instinctively or realize that none of this really matters!)  Below are some of my favorite toys from our collection, mainly based on how engaged Clara seems with them and how long that lasts.

1. Haba Wooden Frog. Haba is a German company that makes beautiful wooden toys of non-toxic materials as well as some soft toys. They make clutching toys for infants that are perfect for when they are learning to grasp. The frog has dangly arms with pieces of wood at the ends that make it easy to grab on to and inevitably end in the baby’s mouth. These toys aren’t exactly in the ‘bargain’ category but are worth the money. (Note on Safety: while their wooden toys and parts are made in Germany, their soft toys are made in China. These, however, are made under German supervision to comply with German safety standards.)

2. Sophie la Giraffe.   Made by Vulli, a French toy company, Sophie has been around for 40 years.  This sweet-looking giraffe toy is made of natural rubber and food paint, and is easy to grab, as well as, apparently, fascinating to chew on!  Clara does seem to enjoy mowing down on Sophie’s head, legs and neck!

3. Kathe Kruse Organic Gugguli Girl Doll.  This was a gift from friends in Germany and I’m so glad they introduced us to this toy company.  Kathe Kruse is a 100-year old German toy company that hand-makes these cuddly dolls that are safe for children.  I don’t know about the educational benefits of this doll but it is the most adorable, soft little thing and it keeps Clara company in her crib; plus it makes for great photo opps!

4. Mr. Lion.  It’s hard to escape Lamaze toys when you have a baby.  And after seeing how my baby loves grabbing, punching and chewing on her Lamaze Lion I now understand why.  You can almost see their brains exploding with sensory stimulation from the colours, textures and sounds in these soft toys.  

5. Fuzzy Bee and Friends.  Priddy Books makes wonderful cloth books for infants.  Clara can’t get enough of the sounds and feels of her new friends as we turn the pages.  A great way to introduce them to books and reading.

6. Running water.  Sometimes instead of relying on toys and songs for entertainment we walk around the house exploring new textures.  One of her favourite things is the feeling of warm water running down her feet and hands.  This one ranks high in the budget category!  Don’t forget to explore every-day items around your house.  We take them for granted but for the newly-arrived everything is a novelty! 

PerryWinkles Kids